Kerry Wan/ZDNET
Samsung announced its eighth-generation Galaxy Watch lineup at its summer event in New York City on Wednesday. The Galaxy Watch8 lineup includes the base model smartwatch as well as the Galaxy Watch8 Classic with a rotating bezel. The Galaxy Watch8 is the thinnest smartwatch made by Samsung yet, with an 11% thinner design than previous devices, and brighter than its predecessors with a 3000-nit display. The smartwatches are built with Gemini AI for the first time, for handling more complex tasks and requests.
Not every Galaxy Watch8 update is about hardware. There's a few feature updates earlier Galaxy smartwatches will get coming from the One UI 8 software update. From a running coach feature that appears to take notes from Apple Watch's "Workout Buddy" to a bedtime suggestion feature that calibrates your optimized sleep time based on activity and historical rest, here are some of the features Samsung will roll out on its next smartwatch (and which will come to earlier devices).
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For those interested in trying out these new features ahead of Samsung's new Galaxy Watch8 shipment, Samsung says they can access them through Samsung's beta program, which is available to users with the Galaxy Watch5 series or later. However, users who have received this update on their devices report that the features will only apply to Galaxy Watches 8 or higher.
Running Coach
AI-powered health coaches are trending across wearables, from Whoop and Oura to Apple Watch's new Workout Buddy. Samsung is jumping on the trend with its AI-powered Running Coach, designed to help runners optimize their training program.
Made for beginners, Running Coach fine-tunes its suggested intensity, providing motivation, guidance, and personalized training programs that incorporate a user's fitness data to help them reach their exercise goals. Whether they're training for a 5K or a full marathon, the feature provides a unique plan to get them across the finish line.
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Users can activate Running Coach by wearing their Galaxy Watch on a 12-minute or longer run outside. Running Coach will analyze their pace and performance to deliver a score from one to ten. Then, they'll receive a personalized training plan geared toward their goal of completing a 5K, 10K, half, or full marathon.
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